New Texas bill would make divorce more difficult

HOUSTON (FOX 26) - If you're stuck in a loveless marriage--a new bill would force you to keep at it without divorce as an option.

HB 93 would change the law so that couples can't cite insupportability as a reason.

The state representative who introduced this bill believes the current law makes it too easy for couples to give up and just get a divorce.

For some attorneys, it's shaky ground.

“You can’t legislate people to love each other. You can’t legislate people to live together their entire lives,” said Chris Tritico, Fox 26’s legal analyst.

The bill, called HB 93 and introduced by State Representative Matt Krause -- would take away insupportability as a reason for divorce. Insupportability is when you simply cannot work it out with your spouse, and it's a no-fault ground for divorce.

If you can't cite insupportability as a reason for divorce in civil court, then that leaves only 6 other reasons: cruelty, adultery, conviction of felony, abandonment, live apart and confinement in a mental hospital

“What Representative Krause is setting up is institutionalized perjury by forcing people to come in and make up one of these reasons to get divorced because people are not going to stop getting divorced if that's what they choose to do,” said Tritico.

Another argument against this bill is that it would make it much more costly to get a divorce. A person would very likely have to spend more money and time to find the evidence to prove abuse or adultery.